Regensburg travel guide
Where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Things to do in Regensburg, planned over three days
Best time to visit Regensburg
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring shoulder season: beer gardens open, gorge boats resume and Altmühltal wildflowers. Late April to May is best for walking and prices.
Peak summer: Danube swimming, long beer garden evenings and festivals. Do interiors at midday and watch thunderstorms and river levels.
Connoisseurs' season: Herbstdult, Bockbier, best cycling and returning students. September is the best overall month for a first visit.
Winter: cold and short days, then Advent markets run late November to 23 December. January to February is quiet, cheap and lowest priced.
What's on
- Tage Alter Musik May, Pentecost weekend
Germany's leading early music festival, with concerts in the historic rooms themselves.
- Maidult mid to late May, about two weeks
The spring Dult: beer tents, Ferris wheel, fireworks and family days on Wednesdays.
- Bavarian Jazz Weekend June/July
Free stages across the Old Town lanes, the city at its most joyful.
- Schlossfestspiele July
Open air opera and pop in the Thurn und Taxis palace courtyard. Book tickets and hotel together.
- Herbstdult late August into September
The autumn Dult, running into September with beer tents and fairground rides.
- Christkindlmarkt at Neupfarrplatz c. Nov 23 to Dec 23
The traditional, free locals' Christmas market, known for apple and blueberry Glühwein.
- Lucrezia Market late November to 23 December
The craft Christmas market at Kohlenmarkt and Haidplatz.
- Romantic Christmas Market at Thurn und Taxis Palace c. Nov 20 to Dec 23
The ticketed, torch lit palace courtyard market. Pay entry once, on a weekday evening.
Worth the trip for
Best things to do in Regensburg
Dom St. Peter
Bavaria's great French Gothic cathedral, with medieval glass and the Domspatzen choir at Sunday Mass.
Steinerne Brücke
The 12th century stone bridge across the Danube, best at dawn and again at golden hour.
Besucherzentrum Welterbe Regensburg
The World Heritage Visitor Centre in the Salzstadel gives the best 30 minute orientation to the town.
Altes Rathaus
Guided tours reach the Reichssaal of the Perpetual Imperial Diet, plus council rooms and prison cells.
Schloss St. Emmeram
The Thurn und Taxis palace has state rooms, a fine cloister, a treasury and a carriage museum.
Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte
A modern, interactive museum taking Bavaria from kingdom to Free State, good in rain and with teenagers.
document Neupfarrplatz
Guided only underground remains of the destroyed medieval Jewish quarter and Roman walls.
Stadtmaus
A guided Old Town walk reveals tower houses, Porta Praetoria and stories invisible without a guide.
Where to stay in Regensburg
Altstadt, Domplatz / Haidplatz / Watmarkt core
first trip, all-round base
Everything in the Old Town is within a 10 minute walk, with the city's densest choice of restaurants and bars.
Stadtamhof + Oberer Wöhrd / island edge
quiet plus the view
The calmer north bank, 5 to 10 minutes from Domplatz, with the postcard view back at the cathedral skyline.
Bahnhofsviertel / southern Altstadt edge
value plus trains
Modern chain hotels, lower prices and easier parking, a functional base a short walk south of the Old Town.
Westend / Prüfening & Danube-west
families with a car
Residential west along the Danube with parking included, river meadows and a bus or riverside walk into the centre.
Think twice about
- Far-east industrial and Gewerbe zones along the A3 and around the harbour
Safe but soulless and car dependent, a bus ride from every dinner. Cheap motels there are cheap for a reason.
- Immediate Hauptbahnhof forecourt for light sleepers
The usual main station mix and construction make it the least attractive 200 metres in the visitor city, not a risk.
- Outlying villages sold as Regensburg, including Tegernheim, Lappersdorf and Pentling
Fine villages, but booking there means a bus commute rather than a Regensburg base. Check the map before booking.
Best restaurants in Regensburg
Storstad
Anton Schmaus's one star fine dining room above Watmarkt, with a roof terrace over the Old Town.
Aska
A 10 seat, one star omakase counter serving classic, unadorned sushi with sake pairing available.
Historische Wurstkuchl
Tiny kitchen grilling small pork sausages over charcoal, served on sauerkraut with sweet mustard.
Brauereigaststätte Kneitinger
The locals' brewery tavern since 1530, for dark Bock, ox roast, Käsespätzle and pork knuckle.
Kneitinger Keller
The summer evening beer garden alternative to the Kneitinger tavern on Arnulfsplatz.
Spitalgarten
A chestnut shaded beer garden looking straight back at the cathedral skyline across the river.
Weltenburger am Dom
Weltenburg abbey beer and solid Bavarian tavern cooking facing the cathedral.
Bischofshof Braustuben
The hotel brewery by the cathedral, with a courtyard garden and its own Festbier tradition.
Outdoor things to do in Regensburg
Walhalla
Ludwig I's hall of fame above the Danube, reached by boat or bus then a steep climb of 300 plus steps.
Donaudurchbruch
A boat sails 6 km through limestone gorge cliffs to Weltenburg Abbey and its beer garden.
Befreiungshalle Kelheim
A huge rotunda above Kelheim with a viewing platform over the Danube and Altmühl confluence.
Danube Cycle Path
Flat towpath day rides run west to Kelheim, east past Walhalla, or up the Naab to Kallmünz.
Bad Abbach Canoe Circuit
An 8 km self guided canoe circuit, downstream on the Danube and back via the canal and lock stairs.
Golf- und Country-Club Regensburg
The serious 18 hole course, set in former Thurn und Taxis hunting grounds at Jagdschloss Thiergarten.
Golf & Yachtclub Gut Minoritenhof
A relaxed 18 hole course along the Danube at Sinzing, less formal than Thiergarten.
Winzerer Höhen
The north bank heights give the skyline panorama locals use for evening walks.
Best hotels in Regensburg
Hotel Goliath am Dom
The city's 5 star boutique by the cathedral, with sauna and valet parking. Book cathedral facing rooms.
Domresidenz
A small, top rated Old Town stay that books out early.
Hotel Orphée
Individually decorated, theatrical rooms in historic houses, with its own well regarded restaurant.
Herzogshof Boutique-Hotel am Dom
Right on Domplatz in a historic building, home to Weltenburger am Dom restaurant.
Hotel Bischofshof am Dom
A former bishop's residence by the cathedral with brewery heritage and a courtyard beer garden.
Hotel Münchner Hof
A dependable Altstadt mid range hotel in the historic core.
Bohemian Hotel
A smaller boutique alternative in the Altstadt, with simple, well kept rooms at a fair price.
Hotel David an der Donau
A smaller boutique hotel right by the Danube, with river views from the upper rooms.
Is Regensburg expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €80 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €160 a person |
| Splurge | €350 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Altes Rathaus: a few days ahead
- Schloss St. Emmeram: a few days ahead
- document Neupfarrplatz: a few days ahead
- Stadtmaus: a few days ahead
- Bad Abbach Canoe Circuit: a few days ahead
- Golf- und Country-Club Regensburg: a few days ahead
- Golf & Yachtclub Gut Minoritenhof: a few days ahead
- Hotel Goliath am Dom: weeks ahead
- Book Aska and Storstad 2 to 4 weeks ahead for weekends. Both close Sunday and Monday.
- Reserve Thurn und Taxis Palace and Altes Rathaus tours on day one for day two in high season.
- Book Altstadt hotels early for Christmas markets, Dult and the July Schlossfestspiele.
- Check Weltenburg gorge boats the day before, as sailings are seasonal and water level dependent.
Is Regensburg safe?
- No neighbourhood needs avoiding for safety. The station forecourt has visible rough sleeping, as at most German main stations.
- Watch for pickpockets in Dult and Christmas market crowds. Use a front pocket or zipped bag.
- Swim only at recognised Wöhrd and Jahninsel spots, never from bridge parapets, and respect flood signage.
- Check the weather the same day for gorge and river plans, as summer thunderstorms arrive fast.
Regensburg travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Ice cream and drinks on the Stone Bridge strip at peak hour cost more. Walk two lanes south for the same thing.
- Skip paid panorama upsells. The best views are free from the Stone Bridge, Stadtamhof bank and Walhalla.
- Buy Händlmaier's mustard at its own shop or a supermarket, not in gift sets at gift shop prices.
- Carry about 40 EUR cash per tavern evening, as small Bavarian houses still prefer cash or EC cards.
Getting around Regensburg: public transport and more
- Walk everywhere: Altstadt plus Stadtamhof is about 2 km end to end.
- Regensburg Hbf is a 12 to 15 minute flat walk from the Old Town.
- Bus No. 5 from Hbf serves Donaustauf and Walhalla. The Deutschlandticket or Bayern Ticket usually beats singles.
- Do not drive into the Altstadt core. Park once in a garage at Dachauplatz, Arnulfsplatz or Bismarckplatz and walk.
Who Regensburg suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Regensburg your trip
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